One True Love
by Charmed651
Summary: This is a story about Ashley Greene and Jackson Rathbone.  They haven't been talking, but what's the real reason behind it?  Will they admit their feelings to each other before it's too late?
1. The Breakup and VMA's

**A/N: **** This story was inspired by Ashley at the VMA's back in September when everyone was saying she didn't seem very happy. This was written purely for fun as I'm a Jackson/Ashley shipper. If you don't like Ashley and Jackson or you like Ashley with Joe, don't read this story. **

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**Ashley's POV**

As I sat getting my make-up done for the VMA's, I couldn't stop thinking about Jackson. I hadn't seen him in over a month and I _was_ really excited for the VMA's because he was going to be there with his band.

A few days ago, I got a text from him telling me he wasn't coming because he had to go to Toronto a few days early to do press before the Film Festival. I wanted to call him just so I could hear his voice, but we hadn't talked in a while and he had been distant lately. When we were at the Teen Choice Awards last month, we barely said hi to each other.

While I was lost in thought, I barely noticed my phone vibrating in my pocket. When I took it out, I saw I had a text from J and I got really excited until I realized it was from Joe. I hadn't seen him in over a week, since I left for Paris, but I didn't miss him like I missed Jackson.

I finally read his text which said,

_ -Ash, _

_ I'm sorry, but I don't think this is_

_ working between us. I hope we _

_ can still be friends._

_ -Joe_

I can't believe this! I just became the latest casualty of Joe Jonas' infamous break-ups. I wasn't even upset about breaking up with him; I just can't believe he would text me and use such a cliché line like "I hope we can still be friends." Please.

I couldn't resist, so I called him, his phone going straight to voice mail, probably trying to avoid me. Well I left him an angry message that said,

"Joe Jonas, you have a lot to learn about women if you ever want to make a relationship work. Just so you know, I was planning on breaking up with you too, but I would have at least had the balls to call and _talk _to you. I feel sorry for whoever you date next because all you do is use girls to get more attention and then you dump them when you can't use them anymore! And you know what? I don't want to be friends because I don't treat my friends like that, so have a good life you jackass!"

Although a lot of that was from my anger at not seeing Jackson tonight, it still felt good.

I really don't want to go, not only am I going alone, but now I'm single and everyone's going to ask about our relationship like they always do.

I finally finished getting my dress on and my make-up done. I was so distracted thinking about everything in the car that I didn't even hear my publicist telling me who to talk to on the red carpet.

"Ashley, are you okay, you seem upset?"

"I'm okay. I'm just not in the mood for all of this right now. I wish I could've just stayed home in bed and watched _Breakfast at Tiffany's_."

"Maybe you shouldn't do a lot of interviews tonight. If you seem out of it, who knows what the press will say about you."

"Are you sure? I'm just not in the mood to be answering all kinds of personal questions tonight."

"Yeah, no problem. Just pose for a few pictures and you have to do a quick interview with MTV since you were the fashion correspondent last year, but I'll tell the rest of the reporters that you're not taking questions."

"Okay. Thank you so much."

"That's my job."

We rode the rest of the way in silence, and when we finally arrived, I took a deep breath as I got out of the car.

I walked the "white carpet" posing for pictures, but I just felt so alone I didn't even smile. I'm sure that will get people talking, saying I was in a bad mood all night.

I did my MTV interview which was quick and easy. When I walked past the press area, they still shouted questions at me even though my publicist told them I wouldn't be taking questions.

There were the typical, "Who are you wearing?"

And what I didn't want to talk about, "Where's Joe?" "Are you guys really dating?" I could tell them exactly what he did to me but I don't like to talk about my personal life and I don't want to be tagged as the bitch who badmouths everyone.

Then I heard one question quietly from the back that I wasn't expecting, "When do you start filming _Breaking Dawn? _Are you excited to see Jackson and everyone again?" I tried to shake it off and walked into the show.

While I listened to Eminem and Rihanna sing _Love The Way You Lie,_ I kept imagining Jackson singing with his band. Despite everything going on around me, I couldn't stop thinking about him.

Before I knew it, I was up to present so I had to pull it together for a few minutes. Me and Jared Leto introduced Florence and The Machine.

The rest of the show went by in a blur and I left right away to go home. I definitely wasn't in a partying mood.

When I got home I changed into my pajamas and started watching my favorite movie, _Breakfast At Tiffany's. _I love Audrey Hepburn and I always feel better after watching that movie.

When my phone rang, I didn't feel like talking to anyone and since it was my apartment phone and not my cell, it probably wasn't that important so I just let it go to voice mail.

At first whoever it was didn't say anything so I assumed it must have been a wrong number.

Then he said, "Ashley" and I ran to the phone, almost dropping it when I tried to turn it on because I was shaking so bad. My voice cracked when I said, "Jackson?"

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**A/N: ****Please review so I know if you like it. I will post the next chapter soon. **


	2. The Phone Call

**Jackson's POV**

Tonight are the VMA's. Me and my band were supposed to be there, but we had to come to Vancouver a few days earlier than planned and we decided to do a show tonight. So I was sitting in the dressing room just looking in the mirror, thinking.

Even though me and Ashley hadn't been talking and things had been awkward between us lately, it still would have been nice to see her. Despite everything that happened a few months ago, I miss her.

I wanted to call and wish her good luck tonight, but I figured she would be busy getting ready and I didn't want to bother her. That's what I should be doing. Getting ready for our show.

But I wasn't in the mood to play tonight, which never happens. I love the band and music so much. Playing a show is always fun, but tonight there was somewhere else I wanted to be.

Ashley has inspired a lot of the songs I have written over the last few years, so I usually think about her before we go onstage for a show. Thinking about her is almost like a good luck ritual for me, but this was almost too hard. It just made me miss her more.

While I was lost in thought, Ben G. came up behind me, but I wasn't paying attention so he yelled my name and waved his arms in the mirror from behind me to get my attention.

"Sorry. Is it time to go on?"

"No, we still have a few minutes. The guys were getting worried though so they sent me to check on you."

"Why are they worrying about me? I'm fine."

"Really? Usually before a show you're out with the rest of us, making sure everything's set up, coming up with new songs to sing for the show. You've been back here for like an hour. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just, the VMA's are tonight and we were supposed to be there."

"Ohhhh. That's what this is about. You miss your girlfriend."

"You know she's not my girlfriend."

"But you want her to be."

"Yeah, well she doesn't want to be with me. Can we just not talk about this. Let's go get ready for the show."

"Okay, whatever you say man. Let's go."

We went out and played for over an hour, and I tried to get into it, but I just wasn't feeling it. Hopefully I faked it good enough that the fans didn't notice anything was off.

When we finally got backstage after our second encore, all I wanted to do was go back to the hotel and crash. I was just exhausted from everything that had been going on today.

We finally put away all of our equipment and me and Jerad went back to the hotel to sleep while the rest of the guys went out.

After what was a long night, I was so tired, I was lying in bed ready to fall asleep when there was a knock on my door. I reluctantly got up to answer it, thinking it might be important.

However, when I opened my door, I found Jerad with his laptop.

"Jerad, what do you want? I'm so tired, I just want to go to sleep."

"Jay, you have to look at this."

"What is it? Can it wait until tomorrow?"

"No, you need to see this now." He walked past me and sat down on my couch, opening his laptop.

I figured he wouldn't leave until I looked at whatever he came over here to show me, so I closed the door and sat next to him on the couch.

Before I knew it, he had pulled up a website with pictures of Ashley from the VMA's.

"Man, why are you showing me this?"

"Before they left, Ben G. told me that he talked to you before the show and you were upset because you wanted to see Ashley tonight."

"You guys are worse than girls who gossip. Why do you guys have to get involved in my love life?"

"Because if we don't push you, you won't have a love life."

"Yeah, well it doesn't mean I want you guys controlling who I date. What does this have to do with these pictures anyway?"

"I wasn't really looking because of you, I was just wondering who won tonight since we are musicians, I thought we should know what's going on. Anyway, when I was looking for the winners, I found pictures from the red carpet and of course Ashley is always popular with photographers so her pictures were one of the first things that popped up."

"She does look really good in those pictures."

"What are you talking about, she always looks good. Besides, you're in love with her so you think she looks good no matter what."

"I'm not in love with her! Why does everyone keep saying that? Yeah, I like her, but it doesn't mean I'm going to marry her and spend the rest of my life with her."

"Maybe not, but you should at least try dating. Who knows, maybe she's your soul mate."

Laughing I said, "What are you going soft on me? Since when did you become such a romantic?"

"Since I got married. I just think everyone should find the person that makes them happy and who knows, maybe Ashley is your person."

"Okay, thank you for the advice and the concern, but we need to stop talking about this before you get any sappier. Back to the pictures. What's the big deal that couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"When I was looking at Ashley's pictures, I saw a lot of headlines about her being cold, not smiling and talking to fans and reporters like she usually does."

"Maybe she was just having a bad night. It's not a big deal."

"But they think it's because of Joe Jonas. Maybe things aren't going so well between them."

"I don't want to get involved in this."

"Hey man, this could be good for you."

"What, because an on-line tabloid says it's Joe's fault she was in a bad mood? Why do you always believe this stuff, none of it's true." 

"It's true sometimes. And even if it's not true, you know Ashley, what do you think?"

"I mean yeah, she does look upset, or at least not like she usually does. But there could be a lot of reasons why she wasn't her usual self."

"Fine, maybe it didn't have anything to do with Joe, but it still looks like something is off. That's why I thought this couldn't wait until tomorrow. I think you should call her and see if she's okay."

"Please tell me you're kidding? That is the worst advice I have ever heard."

"I'm dead serious. If it's nothing, then you look like a good friend, which you are. But if it's something, maybe she just needs someone to talk to and you were nice enough to call and check on her. Either way, it'll make you look good."

"When you put it like that, it sounds good, but we haven't talked in over a month. I only texted her a few days ago to tell her we weren't going to the VMA's. I couldn't even call and talk to her. And what am I supposed to say anyway?"

Jokingly imitating myself in a low voice_, "Uh Ashley, it's Jackson. I was just stalking you on-line, looking at your pictures from tonight and I wanted to see if you were okay. Did something happen with you and Joe like the press is saying?" _

"Don't tell her you were stalking her, but something like that would be good."

"Whatever. I'm not calling her. She's probably busy anyway."

"Call the phone at her apartment. It's 2:30 AM here, so it's what, 11:30 PM in L.A. The VMA's just got over at like 10:30 and I'm sure there are after parties and stuff, she's probably not even home yet. Then you can leave a message and she can call you back if she wants to. If she calls you back, clearly things aren't as weird between you two as you think they are."

"I guess. That's a good point, leaving the ball in her court. Fine, but I'm not doing this with you here."

"Hey, I was just here to deliver the news and convince you to do something about it. My work here is done. I'm going to bed."

"Even though you guys can be overbearing sometimes, thanks for trying to help me."

"That's what friends are for. Good luck man."

"Thanks. Goodnight."

Finally Jerad left to go back to his room. I locked my hotel room door and sat down on the couch with my cell phone on the table, trying to decide what to do. All I have to do is call and say hi and tell her I'm here if she wants to talk. The worst thing that could happen is her not calling me back, which would just show that our relationship is strained. Why not, I've got nothing to lose at this point.

I picked up my phone and found Ashley's number, listening nervously as it rang on the other end. After five rings, her answering machine picked up which is good, at least she's not home. I don't know if I could handle talking to her right now. 

"Hi, this is Ashley. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you."

While listening to her voice, I was mesmerized and I almost missed the beep on the answering machine. Before I could speak, all these things went through my head.

_What do I say?_

_What if she doesn't want to talk to me?  
Is this going to make things more uncomfortable between us?_

But then I remembered what I told myself. The worst thing that could happen is her not calling back. I decided to go for it.

"Ashley," but before I could say anything else someone picked up the phone and I heard her voice.

"Jackson?" 

I thought about hanging up, but I really wanted to talk to her, even though I didn't know what I wanted to say.

"Yeah, it's me."

"I haven't talked to you in forever!"

"I know, we've both been so busy."

"Yeah. It's good to hear your voice."

"Yours too."

"What's going on?"

I hesitated. "Well, I don't really know what to say."

"Well you called me, so I'm assuming you wanted to talk about something."

"I actually figured you wouldn't be home so I was just going to leave you a message so you could call me if you wanted to. Or not."

Sounding worried she asked, "Why, is something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine with me. I was actually calling to see if you were okay."

"Me? I'm fine. Why would you think something's wrong with me?"

I was hoping she wouldn't get mad, but I had to explain why I called now that I had said something. "Well, we played a show tonight and me and Jerad came back to the hotel instead of going out and Jerad was looking at who won tonight at the VMA's and he saw some pictures of you on the red carpet so he came to show them to me. I thought you looked kind of upset and I just wanted to let you know you could call me if you wanted to talk."

"That's so sweet of you, thank you Jackson. But I don't really want to talk about it."

"As long as you're good, that's all I wanted to hear. So you're sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. There's just a lot of stuff going on right now and I'm really confused about everything with all the work I've been doing and dating and the paparazzi and I haven't seen my family in months and Joe just broke up with me this afternoon and I haven't even talked to you or Kellan or most of my friends lately and I feel so alone with everyone off doing their own projects and I don't know what to do."

Wow. I don't even know where to start with all of that. I called to talk to her if she needed someone to talk to, but I'm not very good with advice.

"Jackson, I'm so sorry about how I just blurted everything out like that. It's just been a tough day and I'm really tired."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I called to listen, so…wait, did you say Joe broke up with you today?"

"Yeah. He texted me this afternoon while I was getting dressed for the VMA's. Can you believe it?"

"What a jackass. You deserve someone so much better than him Ash. So that's why you looked upset on the red carpet."

"That, and everything else going on right now."

"Yeah, well don't let it get to you, you need to get out and do something fun to get your mind off of everything. Before you know it, we'll be up filming _Breaking Dawn _and we'll have a few months with everyone, so that's something to look forward to."

"Yeah, you're right. And I'm going to New York tomorrow for fashion week, so I'm excited about that. It'll be nice to get out of L.A., especially to get away from all the paparazzi, you know they're so much worse here than in New York."

"Yeah. Well enjoy New York. Fashion week is perfect to get your mind off of everything. Then maybe you can go and see your family if you're not working, stay out of the spotlight for a while."

"That sounds nice. It would be good to see my parents and my brother. I think that's just what I need. Thank you so much for the idea."

"No problem. I'm gonna go and let you get some sleep, but call me if you want to talk anymore, you know I'm always here if you need me."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks Jackson. It's been a while since I've talked to someone I can really trust and this made me feel a lot better. Good luck with the film festival."

"Thanks Ashley. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

After I hung up I realized I missed hearing her voice more than I could have imagined, and talking to her I was happier than I had been in a long time. Maybe Jerad was right, we should try dating to see if things could work between us, but she sounded stressed and she was upset at the VMA's because the guy she's in love with broke her heart. It's not really the best time to ask her out on a date.

Only 2 months to go until I see her again on set. I couldn't wait to be with her. While lying in bed before falling asleep, I thought about all the good times we had together. I finally realized what everyone else already saw and kept telling me, but what I always denied. I fell asleep knowing for sure that I was in love with Ashley.

**Ashley's POV **

I can't believe Jackson called to see if I was okay. After thinking about him all night, I was so happy to talk to him and hear his voice. It was just like old times when we used to talk, there was nothing weird between us. Hopefully that means things are going back to normal with us.

I can't believe I just dumped all of my problems on him like that. Hopefully he doesn't think I'm crazy now. I felt bad lying to him, but I couldn't tell him I was upset in those pictures because of him. It was pretty obvious he didn't want to try having a relationship with me and I didn't want things to get weird between us again.

What am I going to do? He obviously cares about me enough to call and check on me, but that's not enough. While I was talking to him, it just made everything more clear. I fell asleep knowing for sure that I was in love with Jackson.


	3. New York

**Jackson's POV**

While going through the day doing interviews with the band to promote _Girlfriend, _I couldn't stop thinking about Ashley. She was single again, but was this really the right time to go after her?

Between interviews I was lost in thought about everything when Jerad came and sat down next to me.

"So, how did it go last night? Has Ashley called you yet?"

"She was home when I called, so I talked to her last night."

"Oh man! How did it go?" 

"It actually went really well. She sounded good and was happy I called."

"So she didn't get mad when you brought up the pictures?"

"No. She actually said it was sweet that I called to check on her."

"See. I do give good advice."

"I will admit your advice was good. This time. So thanks."

"What else did she say? Did she tell you what was going on last night?"

"Man you are nosy."

"Well how am I supposed to help you if I don't know what's going on?"

"Maybe I don't want your help."

"But you just said it worked, so just tell me what else she said, maybe I'll have some more good advice."

"Fine. She told me Joe broke up with her before the VMA's. He didn't even talk to her, he texted her."

"Wow. What an ass. What did you say about it?" 

"I told her she deserves better than him and because she said she hadn't seen her family in a while, I suggested she go home for a few days to get away from the paparazzi. She said that was a good idea, maybe she would go see her family next weekend because she was leaving for New York today for fashion week. I think that's everything. Should I try to find a recording of our exact conversation for you to analyze, or was that good enough?"

"No, that was good. See, this is good news. She's single again, so you can put the moves on her."

"Wow, you made that sound really romantic. I don't really think it's the right time since the guy she loves just broke her heart."

"Wait, why do you think she was in love with him? They dated for like two months. I'm sure it wasn't anything serious, she was probably just upset last night because she was surprised by the breakup."

"I can't believe I'm going to tell you this but, last night after I talked to Ashley, I was thinking about what you and the rest of the guys are always saying about me liking Ashley. I think I realized I'm in love with her. I can't stop thinking about her and I don't know what to do."

"I told you! See, you finally admitted it to yourself, that's the first step. Now you have to ask her out or make some big move to go to the next stage."

"I think you forgot a step. First, shouldn't I find out if she even likes me?"

"No, we passed that step. Of course she likes you, it's so obvious."

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on. Ask anyone. When the two of you are together, the way you look at each other and how you act, it's like no one else is around, like you're in your own world. I guarantee you that Ashley feels the same way you do, even if she hasn't realized it yet. That's why you have to make the next move, to make her see how much she likes you."

"I thought I would give her some time and maybe ask her out when we're in Louisiana in a couple of months."

"What! That's a horrible idea. First of all, you'll be filming _Twilight,_ so the cast will be around, it will just seem like it's because you're spending time together for the movie if you wait to ask her out. Second, no offense, but she's hot and if you wait two months, she could already be dating someone else and then you lost your chance."

"Yeah, but we're not going to see each other until then and I don't want to talk about this over the phone."

"She lives in L.A. We should be back around there soon, maybe you could meet up with her and then you can talk to her in person about everything."

After thinking for a while, I finally said, "Oh my god, that's great!"

"See, I told you I could help you out again."

"No, not that. I'm going to surprise her in New York. You told me I shouldn't wait, and we have the next two days off after this next interview. It's perfect!"

"See man, that's what I'm talking about! Being spontaneous. I love it. So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I guess after this interview I'll try to get the first flight out to New York. She has an apartment where she stays when she's there. I think I'll just go and wait outside of her building until she comes home. Or is that too creepy?" 

"No, I like it. It's different and it will be a good surprise. I've taught you well."

"Thanks for all the advice."

"Well let's go do this interview so we can get you to New York!"

We went and did our last interview of the day, but I was pretty quiet compared to how I usually am in an interview. I just couldn't stop thinking about all the different things I could say and do and how Ashley might react to everything. I was barely even paying attention to the questions they were asking until I heard my name.

"Jackson, do you have a special lady in your life?"

Why do they always have to ask about my love life? Usually I would make a joke about Annabelle, but I was excited about everything with Ashley, so I decided to be honest.

Coyly I answered, "Well…there is someone. She's a really good friend and we're trying to figure things out in our relationship."

I was hoping that would be it, but the interviewer responded with, "Ooh that sounds interesting. Can you tell us who this good friend is? Another actor?"

"I think I'll keep that private for now. Sorry."

With that, our interview ended and I got a cab back to the hotel before the rest of the guys could ask me all kinds of questions about my last answer. I called the airport from the cab and found out there was a flight to New York in two hours, so I had to hurry, but I would get in around 4:00. I don't know much about fashion events, but I hoped Ashley would be back sometime around there so I wouldn't have to wait too long to see her.

I stopped by Jerad's room to let him know I was taking off. I knocked and he opened the door right away.

"Hey, I'm heading to the airport, there's a flight to New York in less than two hours. I just thought I should let you know I was leaving. And I don't want to answer all kinds of questions from everyone else so can you just tell them what's going on later?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll give them all the juicy details."

"Can't you just tell them I went to New York to see Ashley? Why does everyone have to know everything that I do?"

"Because we're in a band which means we're like family. So like a brother would, I get to spill all your secrets to everyone else in the family."

"Fine, whatever. Hopefully when I get back I'll be in such a good mood that I won't care what you guys are saying about me."

"Good luck man. I really hope everything works out for you."

"Thanks. I'll see you on Wednesday night."

"Yeah, you better be back for the show. Otherwise I'll have to embarrass you and tell all the fans what you're doing."

"I will definitely be back by then."

I went to the airport and got on my flight to New York. I kept running through every scenario of what could happen. When we landed I got a cab to Ashley's apartment. When I got there, I had finally figured out what I wanted to say that I thought would get the best reaction from Ashley. The only problem was, I didn't know when she was getting back. I decided to call her manager. She usually went to events with Ashley so she would probably know when she would be getting home.

I had her number in my phone in case I ever needed to find Ashley if I couldn't get a hold of her directly. I dialed her cell and she answered right away.

"Hello, this is Jill."

"Hi Jill it's Jackson. Rathbone. I was wondering if you're with Ashley right now?"

"Yeah I am, do you want to talk to her?"

"NO! It's just that I'm in New York and I wanted to surprise her. Do you know when she'll be back to her apartment?"

"She's just finishing up talking to some people here and then I think she's heading back to her apartment. I told her about a party later tonight but she said she wasn't gonna go because she's tired from the flight and this event, so you should be able to spend some time with her."

"Great. Thank you so much Jill. Oh, and can you not say anything about me calling? I don't want to ruin the surprise."

"Sure, I won't say a word."

I only had to make it through another hour at the most. Knowing that Ashley could be here anytime made me nervous. I couldn't sit still so I paced back and forth up the block in front of her apartment building. With my sunglasses and hat on, no one even paid me any attention which was good because I wasn't in the mood to deal with fans right now.

I kept going over what I wanted to say and then I saw her. She walked around the corner and she took my breath away, just like the first time I saw her. She looked beautiful in a short teal dress with her hair pulled to the side. When she looked up, she saw me immediately and she froze, staring straight at me.

**Ashley's POV**

I woke up feeling so happy. Everything in my life was still complicated, but talking to Jackson last night made me feel so good. I was still confused about my feelings for him, so I decided to call my brother, he was always there for me when I needed him.

I dialed his cell phone and he picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Joe."

"Hey Ash! It's been a while. How are you?"

"I know, I've been busy. I'm good."

"I saw you at the VMA's last night. You looked good."

"Thanks. So…are you busy?"

"No, what's up?"

Laughing, I said, "Do you feel like listening to my problems for a while?"

"It depends on what kind of problems. I know nothing about fashion."

"Oh shut up!" We both started laughing and it felt like it did when we were growing up. After a while we stopped and I said, "No, problems with my love life."

"Yeah, you can talk to me, but I don't know if I'll be much help. So hit me with it."

"Okay, well, Joe broke up with me last night and" 

Interrupting me he said, "Wait, what?" Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I don't really care, we just didn't have any chemistry, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, well as long as I don't have to go kick any ass."

""No, I'm okay with that, but something else happened last night and I don't know what to do."

"Don't leave me in suspense. What happened?" 

"Well Jackson called me to see if I was okay because he saw my VMA's pictures and thought I looked upset, so he wanted to check on me."

"That was nice of him. But it's not surprising. I mean, everyone knows he's in love with you."

"What are you talking about? We're friends, I mean do you really think so? Because after talking to him last night, I realized I'm in love with him."

"It's obvious the two of you like each other."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you never acted like this with any of the other guys you've dated. Obviously you two have great chemistry. In all your interviews together you can tell there's a spark there. It's even more obvious in person. I saw how you looked at each other at the _Eclipse _premiere in June when the other wasn't looking. I'll admit, it was kind of cute."

"Why didn't you tell me before!"

"What, that you were in love with Jackson? Because you had to realize it on your own. I can't tell you how you feel about someone."

"Yeah, but something happened a few months ago and I don't think Jackson wants to be in a relationship with me."

"If you talk to anyone else, I'm sure they'd tell you it's obvious he likes you. What happened between you two anyway?"

When I looked at the clock I realized I was going to be late. "I have to go, I have a flight to New York in two hours and I'm not even packed yet."

"Hey, you can't leave without telling me what happened!" 

"I don't have time. Sorry. But I think I'm going to come home next weekend to see you guys, we can talk about it then."

"Okay. Well have a safe flight. I love you."

"Thanks for everything. I love you too."

I hung up and got packed and ready to go to the airport. Since I didn't sleep much last night, I slept most of the flight to New York.

My manager met me at the airport with a car and she went over the details for the events for the next few days while we rode to my apartment. When we got there, I had my hair and make-up done for the Donna Karan show. Right before I was going to leave, I got a text from Kellan telling me to watch this video he emailed me. I had to go, but I was curious about what Kellan thought I had to see. I went to my computer and opened my e-mail. When I clicked on the video link, it took me to an interview with Jackson and his band from earlier today. It was only five minutes to I decided to watch it quick before I left. Any excuse to see Jackson and hear his voice, which is probably why Kellan sent me the video since apparently everyone knows we like each other.

Compared to the usual interviews Jackson does, he barely said anything. But he still looked good sitting there lost in thought. The last question caught him off guard, I could tell by the look on his face that he always has when he doesn't know what to say. Jackson never talks about his personal life so I was surprised when he said there was someone and they're trying to figure out they're relationship. Who could it be? I know I haven't talked to him a lot lately, but I'm surprised he wouldn't have said anything last night. But how could he when I kept going on about my life and my romantic problems. Well I guess that's that. I was right. Whatever happened between us was obviously nothing because he's moved on. I tried with Joe but it just wasn't right. Hopefully I can get over him before we start filming "Breaking Dawn," otherwise it will be too hard to be around him all the time. Before I could think about anything else, my manager texted me and told me to get down to the car or we'd be late.

My mind would occasionally wander and I would start thinking about Jackson, but I did my best to stay upbeat. I didn't need any more rumors going around after the VMA's red carpet drama. I love fashion shows, and Donna Karan is one of my favorite designers. I watched the show, talked to reporters, and just tried to enjoy myself. There was nothing I could do about this now anyway.

My manager came up and said, "Hey Ashley, are you having a good time?"

"Yeah, this is just what I needed."

"I was talking to some people and there's going to be a party later tonight after the event is over. Do you want me to get you an invite?"

"I don't know. I'm really tired from the flight and getting ready for this show. Plus I've got stuff to do for the Mark campaign on Wednesday so I wouldn't mind having some free time. I think I'm just going to head home after this."

"Okay. I think you did a few interviews and posed for enough pictures to keep the media busy for a while. I'm gonna head out soon so I'll say goodnight to you now. I'll call you tomorrow to check in but we don't have anything scheduled so you're on your own."

"Thanks for everything. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

After talking to different people for a while, I decided to head home as everyone else was starting to leave. As I got in the car to go back to my apartment, I couldn't believe it was only 5:30. I guess I'll just have another movie marathon by myself. With the pictures everyone sees of me dressed up for these events, most people wouldn't guess I spend a lot of my free nights in my apartment by myself. I guess that's the price of fame sometimes.

Since it was rush hour, traffic was pretty bad as we got closer to my apartment. When we were a few blocks away, I decided to get out and walk, especially since it was so nice out. I love Fall in New York. As I turned the corner to my block, I thought I was hallucinating. Standing in front of my building was the last person I expected to see, but the only one I kept thinking about.

I froze for a minute, just looking at him. I couldn't believe he was here and my mind started racing with every possibility about what was going on. I realized I hadn't moved in a while so I slowly walked towards him until I was standing right in front of him.

"Jackson. What are you doing here?"


	4. Flashback to Eclipse Premiere

**Here's the next chapter. I messed up the names of the chapters so chapter 3 (New York) is the same one that was posted before and chapter 4 (Flashback to the Eclipse Premiere) is the new chapter. Sorry for the confusion. Hope you guys like it!**

**Ashley's POV**

Before he could answer, he took off his sunglasses so I could see his beautiful eyes. It made me weak in the knees and I would have fallen, but before I knew it, I felt his hands on my arms holding me up.

"Are you okay?" He asked me, his voice sounding worried.

"I'm fine, a little embarrassed, but fine. I just can't believe you're here. What are you doing here?"

"I came here to talk to you about something. It's important."

"Okay, well lets go inside then before the paparazzi find us."

I opened the door and we rode the elevator up to my floor in silence. I kept thinking about what he wanted to talk to me about. It must be serious if he came all the way to New York to see me. Maybe it's about that girl he's interested in from the video Kellan sent me? But why would he need to talk to me about that, we've never really dated and he never talks about his love life. Before I knew it, we were at the door to my apartment and the first thing I did when we got inside was take off my shoes because my feet were killing me.

"Do you want a drink or something?"

"No, I'm fine. Can we sit or…"

Interrupting him I said, "Yeah sure." I sat down on the couch and Jackson sat in the chair next to me.

"So, I don't really know where to begin. I thought I knew what I was going to say, but this is harder than I thought it would be now that I'm sitting here, looking at you."

"Well just go for it. I won't judge you if it's not perfect. Although I think I might know what this is about if that makes things easier for you."

"Okay, well I know we haven't talked much lately and I think we've been avoiding this, but I think we need to talk about what happened between us after the Eclipse premiere."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that a lot lately and you don't have to worry about it. I just want to know one thing. Why did you leave like that, without saying goodbye?"

"I didn't want to make things awkward for you."

"For me. Why would it have been awkward for me?"

"I heard you on the phone…"

Cutting him off I said, "Wait, what do you remember about that night?"

* * *

**Jackson's POV**

"I remember that we were at the Eclipse premiere in LA, but we didn't see each other on the red carpet. The first time I saw you was when I came into the theater and I saw you talking to Kellan. I didn't want to interrupt you guys so I sat down a few rows behind you to watch the movie. Then I didn't see you again until you surprised me at the after party."

Ashley said, "I remember hearing the crowd scream your name when I was doing interviews so I knew you were around, but I figured it would be easier to wait and talk to you when we got inside. I did notice you come in when I was talking to Kellan, but it was almost time for the movie to start so I decided to wait to say hi until the after party. I got there after everyone else and I saw you having a drink by the bar so I decided to surprise you."

_Flashback_

_I was standing by the bar having a drink, hoping to see Ashley and the rest of the cast. Then someone tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around to see none other than Ashley Greene, looking stunning as usual. _

_She just said "Hi."  
_

"_Hi. You look great! I'm so happy to see you, we haven't talked in a while."  
_

"_I know, it's good to see you too. You look pretty handsome yourself."_

"_Thank you, although I just put on what they tell me to wear. What did you think of our scenes in the movie?"  
_

"_I thought they were great. I think the fans will be happy with our kiss and I thought you did a great job with your Jasper flashback scenes."_

"_Thank you. I'm really glad I lobbied to get that kiss in the movie, I thought it fit really well. So, how long are you planning on sticking around tonight?"  
_

"_I don't know. I just want to say hi to everyone, but I have a flight out tomorrow night to New York. Then I'm flying to Europe to do a few weeks of European premieres and press events with Xavier. I don't think I'm going to stay too late. How long are you in LA for?"  
_

"_I have a flight tomorrow afternoon out to Philadelphia. I'm doing some interviews and premiere events in New York over the weekend and then I'm going to Tokyo on Monday for The Last Airbender. I wish I was going to Europe with you guys to do Eclipse promotion, it would be nice to spend some more time catching up with you."_

"_Yeah too bad. But we have time now if you want to have a drink with me."_

"_Sure. What do you want?"  
_

"_How about tequila?"_

"_Really. I thought you didn't like drinking tequila?"_

"_Only on special occasions and since we haven't seen each other in a while, I think this counts as a special occasion."_

"_Any time I get to see you is a special occasion Miss Greene."_

_I watched her laugh and the happiness in her eyes made her seem more beautiful, if that's even possible. I ordered two shots from the bartender and handed one to her. When she took the glass from me, her hand touched mine briefly but I felt a spark that reminded me of all the times we hung out together when we were filming Eclipse. _

"_Jackson, are we going to drink this or what?"_

_She pulled me out of my happy memories and I raised my glass and said, "A toast to you, that everything you want in life comes your way and makes you happy."_

"_Aww, that's so sweet." She raised her glass and said, "And to you, that all your dreams come true both in your music and acting, and in love."_

_We clinked glasses and drank our shots, the tequila burning my throat as I swallowed it, forgetting how strong of a drink it is._

_Ashley said, "Whoa, that was strong, which I guess is why I don't drink tequila very often. _

_Anyway, how's everything going for you, how's the band? Do you have anyone special in your life?"  
_

"_I've been busy, but you know me, I love being busy. The band is great. We're taking a break for a while this summer with all the promotional stuff I've been doing for these two movies but we're working on some new music for a new album. We're also planning on playing some shows in L.A. in August. You should come if you're in town."_

"_Yeah, I would love to, I haven't seen you guys play in a while."_

"_So, enough about me, how are things going with you?"  
_

"_You didn't answer my last question. Do you have something to hide Mr. Rathbone?"_

"_Me? No, I'm far too busy to have any kind of romantic life. I've been single for so long sometimes I wonder if I'll ever date again."_

_She put her hand on my shoulder as she said, "Of course you'll date. You're just in the prime of your career right now, like me, and that's what we focus on. There'll be plenty of time for romance in the future, we're young. I haven't really been seeing anyone lately either, unless you count the tabloid rumors about whoever I was supposedly dating last month."_

"_Well I never believe that tabloid stuff anyway I don't even know why I bother to look at it. How about we make a pact that if either of us ever starts dating someone seriously, we'll let the other one know. Then we know what to believe and what not."_

"_That sounds like a good idea to me. Let's shake on it."_

_We shook hands on our pact and I felt her shiver when our hands touched. I took my jacket off and put it around her shoulders._

"_What was that for?" she asked me._

"_I felt you shiver, I thought you might be cold."_

"_You are such a gentleman. Any girl would be lucky to have you."_

"_So, back to you. What's been going on with you?"  
_

"_Well, I just finished a movie and…"_

_But before she could finish her sentence, her publicist interrupted us saying she needed Ashley to come talk to some people. As her publicist walked away, Ashley turned to me and said, "Sorry, I've got to go mingle, the downfall of trying to make a name for yourself in Hollywood. I'll find you later and we can finish catching up before we leave."_

"_Yeah, sure. I'm looking forward to it."_

_I watched Ashley from afar for the next hour or so as she talked to almost everyone in the room. I would see her laugh at some story someone would tell, but a few times I caught her looking back at me. I tried to distract myself by saying hi to most of the cast. I talked to Peter, Kellan, Nikki, and Elizabeth. I always ended up back at the bar, hoping that Ashley would eventually make her way back to me. _

_Finally I decided I should go home because if I kept drinking, I would have a bad hangover tomorrow and flying with a hangover is never good. I didn't want to interrupt her conversation, but then I saw she still had my jacket and I need it back, so I walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder._

"_Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt, but can I steal you away for a second?"  
_

_She turned back to the two women she was talking to and said "I've enjoyed talking to you guys but I have to go."_

_She turned to me and said, "Sorry about that. I didn't think I would be talking to people for that long. Do you want to have another drink now?"  
_

"_Actually, I was on my way out, I think I've had plenty to drink tonight."_

"_Oh. Okay." She sounded disappointed when she spoke, but then she said, "Why don't I walk you to the door. I feel bad we didn't get to talk again." _

"_Don't worry about it, it just means we'll have more to say the next time we see each other."_

_Instead of walking toward the door she turned down a hallway that we walked by and I followed her. When we were out of sight she turned to look at me and took off my jacket. _

_After she handed me my jacket, she put her hands on my chest and leaned in to whisper in my ear, "I wasn't cold earlier you know."_

_When she pulled back, I saw a look of desire in her eyes so I decided to go for it. I put my hand on her cheek and as I slowly leaned in, she closed her eyes as our lips touched. I put my other hand on her waist and she slid her hands up into my hair pulling us closer together as she deepened the kiss. Although I didn't want to, I slowly pulled away and took a step away from Ashley. _

_She asked, "What's wrong? I thought you wanted this?"  
_

"_I do, but we're still in the middle of a party with paparazzi and fans and I don't think this is the best place to start something we can't finish."_

"_Why don't we go back to my place so we can finish this."_

_With a smirk on my face I said, "Yeah, but I should probably just meet you at your place so they don't get pictures of us leaving together."_

"_Okay, I'll see you soon."_

_Ashley left to go back to her apartment. I slipped out without anyone noticing and I gave my driver Ashley's address. The drive to Ashley's was excruciating. I kept thinking, what are we doing, is this a good idea? I know I want this, but we've both been drinking and is she going to regret this tomorrow? I don't want to make things uncomfortable between us, especially since we still have two more movies to film, not to mention all the promotions and interviews. But she did start it and she seemed upset when I broke our kiss. I decided to stop thinking so much and just enjoy myself for once. I got to Ashley's and I took the elevator up to her apartment, my heart pounding as I knocked on her door._

_She opened the door still looking as beautiful as when she walked the red carpet a few hours ago, although without her four-inch heels on I had to lean down to kiss her. After a quick kiss she pulled me into her apartment. She pushed me up against the door as she started kissing me slowly. She quickly deepened the kiss as she put her arms around my neck. Maybe she's more drunk than I thought, but she is good at distracting me from my thoughts. _

_I didn't want her to have all the fun so I grabbed her waist and spun her around, pushing her up against the wall across from the door. She pushed the jacket off my shoulders and undid my tie without breaking our kiss. Then she pulled me down the hall towards her bedroom as she unbuttoned my shirt. _

_We didn't talk, there wasn't anything to say. We separated briefly once we were in her bedroom. I watched Ashley as she walked over to the light next to her bed and turned it off, immersing the room in darkness. She turned around to face me, undoing her dress so it fell to the floor at her feet. _

_As she walked towards me, the moonlight coming in through the window illuminated her face and she was smiling seductively, just like the first time I met her. We met in a slow kiss as we fell onto her bed and proceeded to relieve over two years of sexual tension between us. Ashley fell asleep in my arms and I never slept more soundly in my life. _

_The next morning when I woke up, I stretched my arms out across the bed and when I didn't feel anything, I sat up to see Ashley was gone. I hope she isn't mad about last night. I got out of bed and was about to walk out into the kitchen when I heard her voice. _

_I opened the bedroom door a crack to see Ashley was on the phone. I didn't want to interrupt so I decided to go back to bed, until I heard my name. I heard Ashley say "It was really stupid. Yes, there was drinking at the party and I don't know what happened. What am I going to do?" Oh God, she does regret what happened, what do I say to her now? Then she said, "I don't know, but I think I love him and now he's going to hate me." _

_I thought this was my chance to finally be with Ashley, but she's in love with someone else. I didn't think I wanted to hear anymore, but I kept listening. Ashley said, "Yeah, but what do I say to Jackson?"_

_I finally quit listening so I quietly closed the door and got dressed. _

_Ashley walked in after a few minutes and she sounded surprised when she said, "Jackson, you're awake."_

"_Yeah, I just woke up. How did you sleep?" I didn't know what else to say._

"_I slept fine. And you?"_

"_Good. Your bed is really comfortable." Did I just say that? That sounds so stupid._

"_Well I'm going to jump in the shower quick and then maybe we can have breakfast or something?"_

"_Yeah, sure."_

_I went and sat on the couch in the living room thinking while listening to the shower in the bathroom. She'd probably want to talk at breakfast and based on her phone call, she didn't know what to say to me. I decided I should just leave now before she gets out of the shower. Then things won't be so awkward for her trying to figure out how to explain last night. I thought about leaving a note, but I decided I didn't want to send the wrong message, so I just slipped out. _

End Flashback

I was pulled back to the present as I said, "And ever since that night, things have been uncomfortable between us to say the least. We didn't see each other again until the Teen Choice Awards and at that point your relationship with Joe had been getting a lot of press and I didn't want to make things difficult for you since it seemed like you were happy, so I just never brought up what happened that night."

"Wow. That's a lot to process. I mean, I remember everything that happened between us like it was yesterday, but you got a lot of that story wrong."

"What are you talking about?"

"This whole thing has just been a big misunderstanding."


	5. The Confession

**Here's the last chapter. I hope you guys like how I ended it. Thanks for all the reviews, they're really nice to read! **

* * *

**Ashley's POV**

I can't believe Jackson thought I was in love with someone else, although at least now I know why he hasn't been talking to me lately, which makes me feel a lot better.

"Okay, so we need to clear up a few things. First, I wasn't drunk the night we slept together so what happened wasn't a decision I made not knowing what I was doing."

Jackson said, "Yeah, but we had a drink together at the bar."

"Yeah, that was the only drink I had all night. By the time I saw you again, I was one hundred percent sober. Although I knew you had been drinking."

"No. I mean yeah, I was drinking, but I didn't drink that much that I didn't know what I was doing. When I kissed you, I did it because I wanted you, not because I was drunk."

At least he wasn't drunk either, so it wasn't just a mistake.

I said, "So neither of us was drunk which is good. But you misunderstood what you overheard that morning."

"Which part? That you regretted what happened, or that you were in love with someone else?"

"All of it. I did say it was stupid, but that didn't mean I regretted what happened. I only said it was stupid because I really like you and I figured a one night stand wasn't the best way to start a relationship with you."

"So if you like me, who were you in love with?"

"I was talking about you stupid. Like I said, I didn't think we would be able to have a real relationship after that and I didn't know how to tell you how I felt."

"So when we saw each other at the Teen Choice Awards, you were being weird because you liked me and didn't know how to tell me. But then what about you and Joe?"

"After I got out of the shower that morning and saw you had left, I figured you just wanted to forget what happened. I didn't want to call you and bring it up since you obviously didn't want to talk about it. Then a few days later when I was in London, Nikki introduced me to Joe and we started spending time together, but I was never in love with him. Don't you remember the pact we made that night? If I was serious about Joe, I would have called and told you."

"God, I'm so stupid. I just assumed when I saw you two together that you were talking about being in love with him. I do remember the pact we made, but I figured since things were tense between us, you just didn't want to talk to me. Ashley, the only reason I left that morning was to make things easier on you, so you didn't have to break it off with me. Which was obviously a mistake because you just thought I was an inconsiderate jerk. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you like that."

"It's fine. Although knowing the real reason makes it feel a lot better. If either of us would have just brought this up a long time ago, these last few months wouldn't have been so awkward."

"At least we got that cleared up."

"Yeah, but it's too late, you've moved on."

"Wait what? Now I'm confused."

"Didn't you come here to tell me about your new girlfriend?"

"What are you talking about? I don't have a girlfriend, I've been single for like three years."

"I saw your interview this morning. You said you were figuring things out in your relationship."

"What? Oh, that interview. How did you even know about that interview? It was for some small TV station in Canada."

"Kellan actually emailed me the link. I have no idea how he found out about it, but he knows I like you, and he probably wanted to give me a heads up."

"Yeah, or maybe Kellan realized I was talking about you and he wanted you to know that I like you too."

"You do?"

"Of course I do. I thought it was obvious."

"Well apparently it is to everyone else. I was talking to my brother this morning about how to tell you how I felt, and he said you felt the same way because of the way you look at me and how we act when we're together. I guess it just took me a little longer to realize than everyone else."

"Well we're in the same boat on that one. I was talking to Jerad and he said he could tell we liked each other, and I finally realized it last night after I called you." Jackson got up and sat on the couch next to me. He took my hands in his, and staring into my eyes he said, "Ashley, I'm in love with you."

"I love you too Jackson!" He leaned in and his lips brushed mine briefly before he pulled away.

"I'm so glad you showed up here. And since we're clearing everything up, I lied to you about being upset at the VMA's because Joe broke up with me. I didn't even care about that. I was mad because I was thinking about you and how I wasn't going to see you that night."

"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore because I'm here now."

I leaned in to kiss him again. It started out slow but he opened his mouth, deepening the kiss.

Even though I didn't want to stop, I pulled away from him.

"Ash, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just, we both admitted to being in love with each other, but I think if we want to make this work, we need to take it slow. Maybe go on a date first or something. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry. You're right. It's not very gentlemanly of me. Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow?"

I couldn't help the beaming smile that appeared on my face as I said, "Yes, of course. How long are you staying?"

"I have to be back in Toronto on Wednesday night."

"I have a photo shoot for Mark on Wednesday afternoon and then I'm going to Jacksonville next weekend to see my family. But we can spend all day together tomorrow."

"I'm glad you decided to go see your family. And while I really don't want to leave I should probably try to find a hotel and…"

"No, don't leave. We can order in for dinner and you can sleep here."

"I'll stay for dinner but I think I'd rather sleep in a hotel than on your couch. Sorry."

In a seductive voice I said, "I never said you had to sleep on the couch."

"Is that so? But you just said you wanted to take things slow."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we can't sleep in the same bed. We don't have to do anything."

Jackson said, "Oh man."

I hit him in the shoulder and we both started laughing.

"Yeah, I'll stay." Jackson said. "I did come here to see you after all, I want to spend as much time with you as I can."

He gave me a quick kiss on the lips and then asked, "So what do you want for dinner?"

"How about Chinese? There's a great place down the street that delivers."

"Yeah sure, that sounds good. Do you mind if I take a shower quick? You can order dinner, get whatever you want, I trust you."

"Okay. The bathroom is down the hall to the right. There are towels in the cabinet next to the sink."

"Thanks love."

I called and ordered a lot of different things, some stuff I figured Jackson would like, with enough for leftovers for tomorrow night so I wouldn't have to cook again.

They said it would be about 20 minutes so I decided to go get changed. As I walked down the hall to my bedroom I heard the shower running so I shut my door and walked into the closet to find something to wear. I unzipped my dress and slipped it off, leaving it on the floor in the closet. I walked over to my dresser and took off my jewelry and pulled the pins out of my hair, letting it fall down around my shoulders.

When I turned around I saw Jackson standing in the doorway in only a towel. With the water dripping down his muscular chest I couldn't help my mouth opening slightly in surprise but I didn't move to cover myself up. I felt comfortable around Jackson. I know I said I wanted to take things slow, but seeing him standing there like that made me want to forget everything I had said.

* * *

**Jackson's POV**

As I walked to the bathroom to take a shower I couldn't help but smile. When I was imagining everything that could've happened when I came to see Ashley, I never imagined things would have gone so well. While I was in the shower I thought about everything I wanted to do with

Ashley now that we actually were going to try to make things work between us.

I left my bag in Ashley's room so when I got out of the shower I walked down the hall to her room and pushed the door open. I froze in the doorway looking at the beautiful sight in front of me. Ashley was standing at her dresser with her back to me. She turned around to face me and stopped, looking surprised to see me. Wearing only her black lacy bra and underwear, she made it hard for me to not just walk up to her and kiss her, but I was trying to be a good guy and take things slow like she wanted.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to walk in on you like this, I heard the TV so I thought you were in the living room."

"Don't worry about it. I just wanted to get changed before dinner. It's not like you've never seen me like this before."

"Yeah, but it's different now that we're just starting to date. For real I mean."

"I know what I said about taking things slow, but we've been friends for so long and…"

I couldn't stand it anymore. I started walking towards her and she stopped talking and walked towards me. We met in the middle of her bedroom and our lips met in one of the most passionate kisses I've ever had. I brought my hands up into her hair as I felt her hands on my chest. As we continued kissing I gently moved us towards her bed and slowly lowered us down.

I pulled out of the kiss and leaned my forehead against hers asking, "Are you sure?"

She nodded and said, "Yes, I want to be with you Jackson."

I smiled and brought my lips to hers again. Just as we started kissing the doorbell rang and we pulled apart.

Ashley said, "It must be the food, it's been almost half an hour."

I got up off of her and said, "I'll get the door since you're not dressed."

"Neither are you."

"Me in a towel is better than you in your underwear."

"Fine. There's money on the counter."

I walked out into the living room and grabbed the money Ashley had left on the counter. I opened the door to take the food and paid the man. I closed the door and put the food on the counter, walking back into Ashley's bedroom. When I walked in Ashley was standing there wearing a tank top and shorts.

"So I guess we're not going back to where we left off?"

"No. I mean I want to, but I think we should take things slow like we initially agreed. It's just, when I saw you standing there in that towel I couldn't help myself."

I laughed, "Well seeing you in your underwear didn't help matters either. Well I guess I better get dressed then so we can eat before things get cold."

"Yeah. I'll get things ready while you get dressed."

"Okay." While I wanted to sleep with Ashley again more than anything, just spending time with her was more than enough for me after all this time. I got dressed and met Ashley in the living room where we ate dinner and got caught up on what had been going on in each other's lives lately.

Since it had been a long day for both of us, after dinner we decided to go to bed. Laying in bed just holding Ashley, I got the best night's sleep I had had in a long time.

The next day me and Ashley had breakfast together at her apartment and then decided to get out of the house for a while since it was such a nice day out for September. We walked through the city holding hands and stopped to have lunch at a small café where no one recognized us.

"So I guess this is like our first real date," I said.

"Yeah. It's the best first date I've ever been on." She smiled at me and leaned across the table to give me a quick kiss.

After lunch we spent the rest of the day walking through Central Park which is usually not something I would like to do, but when I was with Ashley, I didn't care as long as we were together.

We stayed in again tonight at her apartment. We ate the leftover Chinese for dinner and watched _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ which is Ashley's favorite movie and when I said I had never seen it, she insisted we watch it.

After the movie I said, "You know, I'm leaving tomorrow. I think we should talk about how things between us are going to work."

"I know we have to talk but can't it wait until the morning? I just want to enjoy our last night together. We can talk tomorrow morning and then I'll drop you off at the airport before my photo shoot."

"Yeah, I guess that would work."

I leaned in to kiss her. "You know, this is why I love you so much. You always have the best ideas." Our kiss was quick but I could feel how much she cared about me. Again I slept soundly, holding Ashley close to me.

The next morning it was hard to get up because I knew I had to leave soon and all I wanted was to stay here with Ashley, safe inside this bubble we had created where no one could get between us and where we could just be happy.

When I finally got up and got dressed I found Ashley in the kitchen with coffee. We had coffee and talked for over an hour about how we would make this relationship work once and for all.

"So we'll talk on the phone every day no matter what. Then next week when we're both back in LA we can have dinner, maybe see a movie, just normal couple stuff."

She laughed, "Yeah, that sounds nice. But what about when we start filming _Breaking Dawn_ in a month or so?"

"Well, we'll be in the same city for a while so we'll get to spend time together for more than a few days."

"I know, but how are we gonna act in front of everyone else? They're gonna know right away."

"So? Like you said, everyone else seems to know we like each other. I'm sure no one will be surprised. Plus we're a couple in the movie so it will only make our acting better. It's not like we're going to make things difficult on set."

"I guess you're right. And if anyone is bothered by us, I think we can stay professional while we're around everyone else. But what about after we're done filming? Besides the premieres there won't be any times when we know we'll be together."

"Ash, if we're both serious about this, we'll make time to be together. You'll see, we can make this work. For now let's just focus a little bit into the future and we can figure out what to do next after we're done filming _Breaking Dawn._"

"Okay. That's why I love you. You're always so calm about everything and you have so much faith that everything will work out."

"That's because I've never felt for anyone what I feel for you."

I leaned in to kiss her, but before it could go on too long, I realized I had to get ready to go to the airport. I packed my stuff and Ashley rode with me to the airport. We just held hands the whole way while she laid her head on my shoulder. I didn't want to leave her, but I had to get back to Vancouver. When we got to the airport we got out of the car and standing in front of the airport, I took her hands in mine and looked into her eyes.

"Ashley, I love you and I want to be with you. We're gonna make this work, I promise."

I kissed her lightly and when I pulled back she had tears in her eyes. I brought one of my hands up to brush the tears away from her face.

"Don't cry. We'll see each other in a few days. You won't even know I'm gone. You've got your photo shoot this afternoon which you always love and then you're going to spend the weekend with your parents. Everything's going to be fine, trust me. After we get back to LA I'll come see you first thing."

"Okay. But we're going to talk every day. I love you so much Jackson. And I do want to make this work."

She leaned up to kiss me and I put my hands around her back. As we pulled away I pulled her into a long hug.

"Have a safe flight. Call me to let me know you got in okay."

"I will. And you have a good photo shoot. Have fun! I don't want to see pictures of you looking all sad and depressed. Just remember that you have a reason to be happy now."  
I pulled away from her and grabbed my bag, turning to walk into the airport. I turned around one last time at the door to wave and said, "Goodbye Ashley."

She smiled and waved back saying, "Goodbye Jackson."

I flew back to Vancouver and I couldn't stop smiling so when the guys saw me, they knew immediately that things with Ashley had gone well.

Me and Ashley talked every day while we were apart, just like we'd promised. Me and the band finished all the shows and interviews we had to do in Vancouver and Ashley had a good photo shoot and spent some time with her parents.

Although we both traveled for various projects, we spent all our free time together when we were both in LA. I was happier than I had ever been before and I think I could say the same thing for Ashley. As it got closer to _Breaking Dawn _we got closer to each other. We love each other and we worked hard to keep our relationship strong. I think me and Ashley will stay together forever.

The End.


End file.
